“In the name of God, see to it that you pray
constantly, so that your worldly means and heirs and friends become
numerous; when the Resurrection comes, you will console your friends
through these prayers.

It is certain that, through the blessing that is
attached to prayer, anyone who asks and begs will be granted their desires
both on the Path and in the world.”

And these Thy servants who are gathered to
slay me, in zeal for thy religion and in desire to win thy favor, forgive
them, O Lord, and have mercy upon them. … Glory unto thee in whatsoever
Thou doest, and glory to Thee in whatsoever Thou willest.

“…The fact that all Christendom was operating as
one power is proven by the unquestionable authority of the Roman papacy
over Christians.It is also proven
by the general mobilization of Christian powers against Islam during the
Crusades of the Middle Ages and even of the first quarter of this twentieth
century.”

Another trend of thought [suggests that they]
were simply motivated by economic needs and circumstances.Those wars and adventures were not
religious or spiritual but merely the outcome of pressing wants.

One writer defends the use of force and argues
against those who say Islam allows violence only for defense, but explains
it this way:

Islam does not force people to accept its
belief, but it wants to provide a free environment in which they will have
the choice of beliefs…., to abolish those oppressive political systems
under which people are prevented from expressing their freedom to decide
whether they accept Islam or not.

Islam never tolerates aggression from its own
side or from any other side, nor does it entertain aggressive wars or the
initiation of aggressive wars.Muslims are commanded by God [in the Qur’an] not to begin hostilities.